Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Happy July! And since it's the first Wednesday of the month, it's also IWSG day! Yay! Click on the pic above to get to IWSG HQ at Alex J. Cavanaugh's blog.

So last weekend when I went to Nashville I had the pleasure of front row seats for the keynote speaker Sylvia Day. She was stupendous. Everything she said was just pure gold. She talked a lot about being an author meaning having a business, and making smart business decisions. It's no surprise she's one of the highest paid authors in traditional publishing today, considering how savvy she is. She also self-pubs some work, most of which has been picked up by traditional pubs because of her success.

She said authors should always ask themselves these three questions before making any business decisions regarding their writing--whether it be to self-pub, accept an offer from an agent, or sign a contract with a publisher:

1. Are you saying yes or no because you're afraid?

2. Are you saying yes or no because you don't understand your options?

3. Are you saying yes or no because you think the outcome will validate you?

If you answer yes to any of these, you're making a bad business decision. It's never been a better time to be a writer and the options are abundant. Make sure you're aware of all of them, and make the best choice for each project. Don't feel like every project has to take the same path. Explore, and be smart.

Empower yourself to take charge of your career, and make the best choice for YOU.

I thought it was great advice, especially if you're in this writing gig to make a living from your work. She also cautioned on selling your work too cheap because then that's what readers and publishing houses will come to expect from you, and you could have trouble ever making what you're worth.

Admittedly, I've never read any of Sylvia's books, but I plan to now because she's such a smart lady.

In the world Adicia Éloïse Troy is from, life is more like a Grimms’ fairytale than a Disney fairytale. But sometimes even the darkest, most twisted fairytale has a happy ending, even for a poor girl from the Lower East Side. Available now on AmazonBarnes & NobleKobo

Congrats Carrie-Anne!

Thanks so much for stopping by!Tell me, have you ever stopped and asked yourself any of those three questions? Have you made a bad business decision in the past? Or have you caught yourself from making one? Maybe you're not at that point yet, which is great because now you can write these questions down and return to them when it's time.